Bakur Avsajanishvili, the Mayor of Kazbegi municipality from the ruling Georgian Dream party, physically assaulted a local resident who is protesting the construction of another hydroelectric power plant tied to Russia on the Tergi River - Kamara HPP. The incident took place today, November 21, during a grieving ceremony in the village of Arsha.
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According to eyewitnesses, the mayor first demanded an explanation from the citizen for his critical post published on social media, after which he punched him in the face and humiliated him in front of people.
Leading up to the incident, the assault victim wrote on Facebook:
‘‘Those who do not agree with selling off this land and do not support the Kamara HPP project are threatened with termination from jobs by these morons. Their trusty legmen have swarmed the village. We can’t keep taking it easy on them, all the traitor scumbags must be exposed.’’
Kazbegi Mayor Bakur Avsajanishvili did not respond to phone calls and text messages from Mountain Stories.
Beating or other violence is a crime punishable by the Criminal Code and carries a fine, community service, house arrest, or six months to a one-year prison sentence.
According to our information, despite the fact that the Kazbegi Police is aware of the incident, the investigation into the assault has not even been opened formally.
It is worth noting that before he was elected mayor, Bakur Avsajanishvili was the head of the Kazbegi police and the deputy head of the Kvemo Kartli division of the Security Police Department in the years 2012-2020.
According to local activists, the mayor of Kazbegi is actively lobbying for the Kamara HPP project, along with other public officials involved in this process on his orders.
‘‘Until now, our initiative group refrained from pointing fingers and naming names, but what happened today goes beyond all limits and, along with testifying to the indignity of the official, is an insult to the entire valley. At the same time, we verified the accounts of locals they have been sharing with us in private conversations, that the mayor is forcing the support for Kamara HPP, threatening to cut off social assistance otherwise. The incident proves that all those who dare to openly challenge this project and its interests will be dealt with using similar methods,’’ said the statement issued by the activists.
The Russian-tied company Kamara Energy is trying for the third time to implement the Kamara HPP project, with an installed capacity of 16.62 MW, on the Tergi River. Due to the opposition of the local population, the company has already been refused twice, however, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture scheduled another review of the project on November 27 and 28.
If Kamara HPP construction is given the green light, Tergi River in Kazbegi will be diverted into iron pipes for another 5 kilometers, from Kanobi to Goristsikhe. The local population is against the construction of another HPP in the district. The main reason is that because of the existing hydroelectric power plants, the valleys of Tergi and Khdi are dried up during summer. For the smooth operation of HPPs, water is fully diverted to pressure pipelines. According to Mokhevians, the waterless valleys no longer attract tourists, and tourism is the main source of income in this region. Should the government succeed in overcoming the local protest, the construction of 9 more HPPs is planned in the Kazbegi municipality – there will be no valley left in the region where the water flows freely.
